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Hospital Disaster Response Using Business Impact Analysis

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 September 2014

Hiroshi Suginaka ,
Ken Okamoto ,
Yohei Hirano ,
Yuichi Fukumoto ,
Miki Morikawa ,
Yasumasa Oode ,
Yuka Sumi ,
Yoshiaki Inoue ,
Shigeru Matsuda  and
Hiroshi Tanaka
Hiroshi Suginaka*
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency and Critical Care Medicine, Juntendo University, Urayasu Hospital, Japan
Ken Okamoto
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency and Critical Care Medicine, Juntendo University, Shizuoka Hospital, Japan
Yohei Hirano
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency and Critical Care Medicine, Juntendo University, Urayasu Hospital, Japan
Yuichi Fukumoto
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency and Critical Care Medicine, Juntendo University, Urayasu Hospital, Japan
Miki Morikawa
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency and Critical Care Medicine, Juntendo University, Urayasu Hospital, Japan
Yasumasa Oode
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency and Critical Care Medicine, Juntendo University, Shizuoka Hospital, Japan
Yuka Sumi
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency and Critical Care Medicine, Juntendo University, Urayasu Hospital, Japan
Yoshiaki Inoue
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency and Critical Care Medicine, Juntendo University, Urayasu Hospital, Japan
Shigeru Matsuda
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency and Critical Care Medicine, Juntendo University, Urayasu Hospital, Japan
Hiroshi Tanaka
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency and Critical Care Medicine, Juntendo University, Urayasu Hospital, Japan
*
Correspondence: Hiroshi Suginaka, MD Department of Emergency and Critical Care Medicine Juntendo University Urayasu Hospital, 2-1-1 Tomioka Urayasu, Chiba, 279-0021, Japan E-mail sugi-po@juntendo-urayasu.jp
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Abstract

Introduction

The catastrophic Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011 created a crisis in a university-affiliated hospital by disrupting the water supply for 10 days. In response, this study was conducted to analyze water use and prioritize water consumption in each department of the hospital by applying a business impact analysis (BIA). Identifying the minimum amount of water necessary for continuing operations during a disaster was an additional goal.

Problem

Water is essential for many hospital operations and disaster-ready policies must be in place for the safety and continued care of patients.

Methods

A team of doctors, nurses, and office workers in the hospital devised a BIA questionnaire to examine all operations using water. The questionnaire included department name, operation name, suggested substitutes for water, and the estimated daily amount of water consumption. Operations were placed in one of three ranks (S, A, or B) depending on the impact on patients and the need for operational continuity. Recovery time objective (RTO), which is equivalent to the maximum tolerable period of disruption, was determined. Furthermore, the actual use of water and the efficiency of substitute methods, practiced during the water-disrupted periods, were verified in each operation.

Results

There were 24 activities using water in eight departments, and the estimated water consumption in the hospital was 326 (SD = 17) m3 per day: 64 (SD = 3) m3 for S (20%), 167 (SD = 8) m3 for A (51%), and 95 (SD = 5) m3 for B operations (29%). During the disruption, the hospital had about 520 m3 of available water. When the RTO was set to four days, the amount of water available would have been 130 m3 per day. During the crisis, 81% of the substitute methods were used for the S and A operations.

Conclusion

This is the first study to identify and prioritize hospital operations necessary for the efficient continuation of medical treatment during suspension of the water supply by applying a BIA. Understanding the priority of operations and the minimum daily water requirement for each operation is important for a hospital in the event of an unexpected adverse situation, such as a major disaster.

SuginakaH , OkamotoK , HiranoY , FukumotoY , MorikawaM , OodeY , SumiY , InoueY , MatsudaS , TanakaH . Hospital Disaster Response Using Business Impact Analysis. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2014;29(5):1-8.

Keywords

business impact analysisdisaster planningwater supply
Type
Original Research
Information
Prehospital and Disaster Medicine , Volume 29 , Issue 6 , December 2014 , pp. 561 - 568
Copyright
Copyright © World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine 2014 

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